Dry Cleaning formed in South London in 2018, pairing Florence Shaw's flat, spoken delivery with a tight, wiry band. The songs hinge on bass-led grooves and clipped guitar shapes, with drums keeping a danceable but unshowy pulse.

Sharp angles, soft voice

Expect a set that pulls from New Long Leg and Stumpwork, with Scratchcard Lanyard, Strong Feelings, Don't Press Me, and Kwenchy Kups likely to land hardest. Crowds skew mixed in age, from zine-era indie lifers to new fans brought in by word-of-mouth playlists, and most listen closely between bursts of movement.

Studio roots, stage habits

Trivia: the band tracked parts of New Long Leg at Rockfield Studios with John Parish, and Shaw often reads lyric notes from a stand rather than singing off memory. Early on, friends reportedly urged Shaw to try vocals after a karaoke night, which explains the casual, spoken presence that anchors the music. Guitar and bass often lock into repeating figures, leaving space for phrases to land like observations in a diary. Note: everything about probable songs and stage setup here is an informed guess based on recent shows and may differ on the night.

The Dry Cleaning scene, up close

You see neat workwear jackets, wide-leg trousers, and simple trainers, plus a lot of tote bags that look like they came from small presses. People nod more than they jump, but big riffs pull them forward in waves during choruses and codas. Between songs, there are soft laughs at Shaw's dry lines and a habit of clapping when the bass hooks return, almost like a cue.

Zines, vinyl, and text-first tees

Merch skews monochrome text tees, zine-style posters, and vinyl with clean design, and the line tends to be steady rather than frantic. Friends trade notes about which EP cuts made it in, and you hear quick debates about Stumpwork vs New Long Leg for best front-to-back listen. When the band locks on a repeating groove, a few fans start a low chant of the song title or a key phrase, then fade back into the pocket.

Quiet focus, shared pulse

Overall the room feels intentional and curious, the kind of crowd that shows up early, leans in for words, and lets the rhythm do the moving.

How Dry Cleaning makes the room breathe

Live, Dry Cleaning centers Florence Shaw's straight-spoken voice, mixed dry so every consonant clicks like a drum hit. The guitar favors tight, clean tones with a light chorus or tremolo, playing short shapes rather than big chords. Bass carries much of the melody, moving in smooth lines that the drums nail down with crisp hi-hat patterns and kick drum nudges.

Edges sharpened onstage

Tempos tend to run a shade faster than the records, which gives Scratchcard Lanyard and Don't Press Me extra snap without losing the cool. They often stretch a coda by looping a riff and letting Shaw add new lines, a small rearranging habit that keeps the text feeling fresh. An under-the-radar touch: the vocal mic is kept almost free of reverb while guitars add width, so the words sit in front and the band feels like a moving backdrop.

Light as a frame, not a show

Lighting is spare and pale, usually backlit washes that outline the players and leave room for the rhythmic push to carry the show.

If you like Dry Cleaning, you might also roam here

Fans of Yard Act will hear the shared talk-sung storytelling and a springy bass focus, though Dry Cleaning keeps the delivery more detached. If Parquet Courts is your lane, the clipped guitar patterns and tense, motorik drive will feel familiar, especially in the way riffs circle without flashy solos. The spoken bark of Sleaford Mods connects via cadence and social detail, but Dry Cleaning leans cleaner and more textural.

Cousins across the map

For a similarly wiry UK live show, Shame brings sweat and volume where Dry Cleaning brings space and poise. Across these acts, the overlap is a love of rhythm section first, spoken or half-sung vocals, and songs that build tension by holding back rather than exploding.

Kindred scenes, different temperature

If those traits hook you, this bill lands squarely in your wheelhouse.